Toolkit Activity: Situate Yourself (soci101)
Situate Yourself
(as used in Intro to Sociology)
Chapter 8 Social Stratification
One of the main ways social stratification works, is by assigning privilege to certain groups, while restricting privilege or punishing those who do not share the ascribed or achieved characteristics of the original groups.
Recall our Intersecting axes of Privilege that we made in class today. An extended version of it can be found here:
http://books.google.com/books?id=HWd19vvIRz8C&lpg=PA31&ots=kM6aVv1TfT&dq=intersecting%20axes%20of%20privilege&pg=PA31#v=onepage&q=intersecting%20axes%20of%20privilege&f=false
(Link to Feminist Perspectives in Therapy: Empowering Diverse Women
Judith Worrell and Pam Remer)
Figure 1 Intersecting Axes of Privilege and Oppression
This assignment is designed to allow for your reflective placement in the world, prior to exploring the concepts and terms of Sociology and Social Stratification any further.
For class on Thursday, prepare an essay situating yourself on the axes of privilege/axes of oppression. (1-2 typed pages, 12 pt font, double spaced)
In the assignment, you are to explore how your personal and social characteristics have combined in order to put you in a specific place- the Sociology classroom, and social situation. Personal characteristics include concrete factors such as age, race, class, and gender as well as more abstract factors such as social standing, experiences, and decisions and choices you have made (or did not make) in your personal life. How do these factors contribute to who you are today? What pivotal experiences shaped your personality?
How has stratification played a role in where you are today? Thing BIG, think about culture- those you do and do not participate in. Think about socialization, what did you or did you not receive? Think about privilege. What unearned “gifts” do you have that others may not have? Are there any additional characteristics you would add to the diagram? What are they?
As we move forward in Chapter 8, we will begin to ask why stratification occurs. Which theoretical perspective do you take on Stratification? Has it been functional or conflict based? Be prepared to discuss on Thursday and explain how privilege operates around you.